Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can red kidney beans
• 2 cups (1 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cayenne pepper to taste (at least 3 good shakes)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green chiles, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Make room in the center of the skillet, add turkey, and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne.
3. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. If preferred, serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips
• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• chopped green onions

Directions

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

White Chili

Atlanta got pounded by ice and snow this past Sunday, and we are still digging ourselves out. Being semi iced-in made me crave something warm and homey so I decided on this easy white chili. I paired it with some grilled cheese on fresh bread and a cold beer. This was the perfect meal for a cold night.

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 4 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 (14 ounce) cans great Northern beans, undrained
• 
  

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and saute until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan.
2. Saute the onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno chile peppers and garlic in the same skillet. Return the chicken, along with the ginger, salt, sage, cumin and white pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. In a separate small saucepan or skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Whisk in the chicken broth and mix all together. Stir this mixture into the sauteed chicken and vegetables.
4. Stir in the beans with can liquid, and simmer all over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked and heated through.

Source: allrecipes.com

Quinoa and Black Beans

I've been hearing about the health benefits of quinoa for a while and finally picked it up at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein (all nine essential amino acids). Quinoa is especially well-endowed (har har) with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair and has a host of other health-building nutrients, including manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
For the quinoa, I followed recipe below. I ate it with pan-fried salmon filet seasoned with cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro (Serves 10).
   

Source: allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5